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There are still more fight announcements on the way, but the lineup of fights the UFC has officially announced for the promotion’s return to Calgary already features plenty of intrigue.

Among the nine fights that the UFC confirmed to Postmedia, eight fighters are ranked in the top-15 in their weight classes.

Jose Aldo is a former champion. Alexis Davis fought Ronda Rousey for the women’s bantamweight belt back in 2014, and Jeremy Stephens could be one win away from challenging for the featherweight title.

There’s some elite talent set to compete at the Saddledome on July 28, in other words, and with a main event still set to be announced the UFC’s return to Calgary could end up making fans very, very happy.

Here’s five fights to look out for:

Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens

Featherweight (145 lbs.)

If this had been announced as the main event, there probably wouldn’t have been many complaints.

Stephens is on a three-fight winning streak and has knocked out Josh Emmett and Dooho Choi in his last two appearances in the octagon. His calling card is his heavy hands, but Stephens has improved drastically over the past couple of years and will undoubtedly look to pressure Aldo and put the Brazilian to sleep early.

That’s no easy task, though. Sure, Aldo’s been dropped a couple times by Max Holloway and Conor McGregor over the past couple years, but he’s still widely considered to have had the greatest featherweight career of all time. He’s fast and kicks with a ferocity that few in the UFC have ever been able to match.

Randa Markos vs. Nina Ansaroff

Strawweight

Ansaroff is a whole lot more than the girlfriend of current women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. She’s a force to be reckoned with in her own right when she steps in the octagon and is coming off back-to-back victories over Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger and Angela Hill. She’s well-rounded, and while she’s only ranked No. 14 in the strawweight division she could easily leap ahead of a few of the women ranked above her with a big win over Markos.

Markos, though, might just be the most consistently underrated fighter on the UFC roster. She’s got cardio for days and has a still-developing striking game that can confound her opponents. On her best nights, the Windsor, Ont. native should absolutely be considered a top-10 strawweight, and maybe even top-five.

Dustin Ortiz vs. Matheus Nicolau

Flyweight

Ortiz is ranked No. 10 in the flyweight division, and Nicolau is No. 11. That might make them seem like they’re a long way from a title shot, but with Demetrious Johnson having dominated pretty much everyone ranked above them, the winner here might not actually be that far off.

Ortiz has been around forever and has only really ever lost to elite opposition. He can win by knocking you out and he can win by submitting you, but his unmatched cardio pretty much guarantees he can outlast most opponents, too.

Nicolau, meanwhile, has won all three of his fights since making his debut in the UFC in 2015. The only thing holding him back has been inactivity, so expect him to go out and try to make a strong impression to impress the bosses.

Hakeem Dawodu vs. Austin Arnett

Featherweight

Dawodu happens to be a Calgarian, so of course he’s getting a shoutout here. The guy has been a pillar of the local muay thai and MMA scene this decade, so expect his legions of Calgary fans to pack the house and make some serious noise at the Saddledome.

He lost his debut to Danny Henry in March, but nobody should be dismissing him based on one rough performance. The guy can strike, and while he got caught by Henry early in their fight, fans should expect Dawodu to go out and turn some heads with his smart, precise striking.

Arnett’s tough, but he’s not the reason this fight is on this list.

John Makdessi vs. Ross Pearson

Lightweight

A couple months ago, it looked like Pearson was on the way out of the UFC after dropping four straight fights. That would have been a shame, because he’s an all-action fighter who is more than willing to take a punch if it means he can deliver one in return. He earned some more time by beating Mizuto Hirota in February, and that secured him this date with Makdessi.

Makdessi is a Haligonian with some big wins on his resume, and while he’s had a few ups and downs in his career he almost always delivers entertaining fights. These guys are going to stand and bang, and this could be the fight of the night.

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